Talking to the Moon
by chatte.georgiana
Summary: After the end of the 4th Shinobi World War and the loss of dear comrades and friends, Naruto and Sakura find themselves dealing differently with the losses, especially a certain one, the one they have been trying to bring back home for years. Sakura Haruno finds herself in a complicated situation when it comes to Naruto's happiness...
1. Chapter 1: Silver Drops

Talking to the Moon

Chapter 1: Silver Drops.

There she was again, looking at the black sky weeping silver drops as she was closing her eyes. An old image came to her mind; it was with _them_... the _old them_, all, Naruto, Sai, Kakashi-sensei and even him... Sasuke, the avenger she once gave her heart to.  
_"Beautiful times, right Sasuke?"_ she thought to herself, as the corner of her lips curled into a smile, drown later by tears. _"But I never could do what you told me before your last breath... What you, everybody told me to, I just couldn't do it. Silly as always, right?"_ she said while kept talking to herself.

Sasuke's last battle with Naruto was defining. He was the loser who won, but he gave his life for that... yet before, he made sure that the Uchiha name resonated once again like in the old times: Konoha's heroes! He died smiling... and in her arms. The one who once, annoying as she was, filled his lonely existence that bestowed upon him from the Uchiha massacre. But his dying words were a final advice to her, the most honest one he ever gave her in his life. Maybe his first and last time when he actually thought about her more than just a comrade... like a close friend, a precious family.

Even though in his darkest times he tried to take her life away and was always cold with her, this time, when the burden of the Uchiha legacy didn't weight so much on his shoulders, he could be honest, let those feelings long locked somewhere in the deepest corner of his soul, free. And he wanted her to be happy, so he did what he could do best at the time, give her the advice of his lifetime: _"Tell him! Sakura, even I can tell..."_ he whispered as his eyes and the beats of his hearts closed, while his hand fell from her cheek.  
She started crying, loud... In the end, he was once someone for whom she had feelings.

She opened her eyes, wiped her tears and went to the window. She did as she always used to do, climb on its sill and looked mesmerized at the sky. It was one of those things that could calm down her inner storm. She kept thinking, did she do right, did she do wrong?  
_"But he's happy now..."_ Sakura told her inner self. That self that actually was longing for his arms to be around her body and warm her like it always did. That genuine, pure smile that always melted her heart, those eyes in which always she found comfort._ "So it's ok, as long as he's happy, I'm happy too, right, Sasuke?"_ she continued comforting herself smiling tearfully. She couldn't stop those tears, as much as she wanted. Those were feelings merging to the surface, breaking free in her eyes, travelling around her tears down to her neck, later, to her hearth. Those were the tears of someone who was always strong, of someone who after the last events decided to just close her heart. She already lost a person she once loved, she didn't want to go through that again. No! Her heart wouldn't take it...  
She just wanted to know him safe and sound. That was all that mattered above all. Smirking in a really silly way, her thoughts quickly ran to her master's direction _"Hmpf, funny enough, Shisou... In the end it seems that we share the same destiny, the same pain. Who could've told? I came to you for training so that you could share your techniques with me, but in the end we came to share more than those techniques..."_

Taking her feet up to her chest while looking at the view through the windows, she stood there closing her eyes, listening to the nothingness around her while tears broke out even through her closed eyes. She just let herself loosened in the wind's breeze and the sky's darkness.

Fifteen minutes later Sakura opens her eyes and gets down from the window sill and goes towards her cupboard. She took out from there her long red coat, put it around her, went out of her room towards the exit door from where she took her boots, put them on quickly, properly dressed with the coat, slammed the door behind her and went out for a walk.

As the rays of the moon enlightened her path, she kept walking and looked around the road as memories from her childhood passed behind her eyes. She put an innocent smile on her face that hid a lot of sadness while the images were rolling inside her mind. Ino's flower shop, from where she bought her first flower, the kids park where she was bullied about her forehead but gained a friend for life, the bench where she was about to have her first innocent kiss with Sasuke, the bridge where she used to spend her turbulence days. So much time had passed, so little has changed while everything looked different.

She stopped there for a moment, on that bridge and looked at the moon's reflection in the water. Sasuke's image appeared before her eyes which once again got filled with tears at his memory._ "You dummie! Why did you have to choose that path? Things would be so much different today if you haven't had chosen that way."_ As she was staying there reflecting at Sasuke's remembrance, she heard some rustling from the leaves. It was autumn, any movement around Konoha couldn't pass unnoticed.

After hearing that distant sound, Sakura moved swiftly 150 feet away, NW distance. Quietly, her body moved through the leaves' shadows as she sneaked around to get closer to her target. While she jumped around the trees, took out a kunai, poisoned, as she never walked around without at least few poisoned kunais on her and from the next two steps she landed in the back of the suspicious two silhouettes with her poisoned kunai around their necks.

\- Who are you and why are you sneaking in Konoha? she asked with a low, stern tone. A slim, evil laugh proceeded into a thick one, made its presence around the three characters.  
\- I wouldn't laugh that much if I'd be you. One movement and you're dead! Sakura threatened as she kept her stern voice tonality. Her kunais weren't using the old trick. This wasn't a poison that was only used to put to sleep the target, it was a poison that was killing the target in 3 minutes. She got that one from her past fight with Sasori of the Red Sand; she had a lot to learn from every experience. Now the Scorpion's venom was one of her most fatal poisons. And since she was the one who built an antidote against it, she also took it to the next level, making it even deadlier.  
After hearing this the laughs stopped.  
\- Even if you kill us now, it's no good. The dojutsus will be ours and they will be brought back to life! the other voice said strongly. Sakura stood there for a second analyzing the statements when she sensed someone from behind coming to attack her. She felt the intent and quickly reacted. Rotating the kunais on her fingers, jumped in a rotation and with her elbow hit the one who wanted to attack her, while at the same time she threw the other two kunais at the other two strangers.

\- Told you not to move or you'll be dead, she added as she landed on her feet. The attacker was dead and so were the other two. Before the 3 minutes ended, she reached them as they were laying down, almost unconscious.

\- What were you doing here? What are you after? she yelled at them. But it was too late, they were already on their dying breath.  
\- We will get what we need and when they'll be back, this world shall know end...! were the last words Sakura heard.  
_"Damn it! What was that?"_ she asked herself. After this was over, Sakura decided to collect the bodies and take them to Konoha's hospital. It wouldn't be a problem as she had full access to it.

\- Kuchiyose no jutsu! she invoked touching the ground as from a cloud of smoke, Katsuyu's body showed itself.

\- Sakura-chan! Katsuyu acclaimed as she appeared.

\- What do you need me for? What happened? she asked.

\- There's no time for questions Katsuyu-sama!Sakura replied. Please help me with these 3 bodies, I need to take them to the hospital for further examination, she commanded as she was thinking at the last words the man said to her.  
\- In a moment! Katsuyu answered firmly as she split into multiple parts of herself and enveloped the three bodies.

After taking care of the bodies, Sakura asked Katsuyu that before she should return to Shikkotsurin, to split around the village and let her know, through their mental connection, if anything seems suspicious. This way she could go back home safely. The next day she will be having a lot of things to take care of.


	2. Chapter 2: Old teachings

She closed the morgue's doors, put the keys in her pockets and headed towards the exit. Tomorrow would be a complicated day. A lot of things had happened this night and it was prior to take care of everything. As she closed the door from the hospital's entrance, when her head raised as she had her look fixated on the ground all the time, a figure appeared in front of her.  
_-_ Sai! she exclaimed surprised. What could he be doing at this late hour in night? Did he followed her, does he knows something? Those were just some of the worries she had at the moment. She watched him straight in the eyes as wind blew stripes of her cherry blossom hair.  
\- Late in the night, doing your job as always, Sakura-san! he replied with his fake-type smile. He was doing it from the bottom of his heart though, still, human feelings were a nebula to him. But he was working on it.  
Sakura smiled relieved. "_He doesn't know anything._ _Phew!"_ she thought to herself. Not that it would be something she'd keep a secret, but for the moment it was better if she didn't worried anyone without having an accurate info. Plus, everything was taken care of granted Katsuyu's presence in every corner of Konoha. Tomorrow would be another day, in which she would have to take care of everything; reporting to Tsunade and from there on decide what was best to do.  
\- Oh, yes, I just had to sort of some things around here_,_ she responded smiling as she tried to look less suspicious. And she was managing to do it well. After all, she was able to trick him various times. When you get to know feelings that well, in the end you manage to rule over them, to show or hide them, depending on the situation. Although she was always that little girl that couldn't control her feelings at all, even if that was a prior rule for a ninja, given the last events she'd been through, as her heart closed, she got better and better at hiding emotions, showing none... or showing fake ones. She was on the right way to finally become a fine shinobi.  
-But what about yourself, what are you doing at this late hour at night_?_ Sakura asked curious as she wanted to know more regarding the fact that if indeed he didn't noticed what had happened moments ago or he was bluffing.  
\- Oh, me? Nothing... I couldn't get asleep and decided to take a walk. Since my sleeping habits got a little bad lately, I decided to do something constructive with this time so I decided to take a walk and look for some Konoha landscapes. I want draw some and finally put a title! he answered her smiling in the same silly way.  
\- Oh, that's so nice! Sakura replied. I see you really learned more about feelings and emotions lately! she exclaimed in a bit of excitement. Though at first, when Sai joined Team 7, Sakura had her problems with him as he was more of a machine rather than a human, as time passed by, Sai changed and Sakura really enjoyed that. In the end she accepted him as a part of their team and started helping him in her own way with getting to know the outside world. Even though at times she might have been a little bit off the balance, who else could learn him more about emotions, feelings, about being a human more than her? She was perfect embodiment of being a perfect person with flaws. Because that's what defines us in the end, being perfect with flaws. That's what a human being is about.  
\- Yes, I did! Sai answered, excitement being noticeable on his entire face. But few seconds afterwards Sai got very serious. But what about you, Sakura-san? How are you doing lately? Still haven't done what you said you'll be doing?  
Sakura tried to avoid these questions with a false smile but Sai saw through it in an instance.  
\- Don't! Don't even try to lie to me with that fake smile. I may not be able to read you in most of the times, but there is this particular situation where you can't hide it. Not even from me. I admit that I might not be able to understand yet all the emotions of a human being but I've been really working on that and you, when it comes to him... you're an open book, Sakura-san! Sai added on the same serious tone. You haven't told him, have you?  
In that moment, Sakura's whole face got saddened. She put her look on the ground, sighed and put her palm on her forehead.  
\- You know I cannot do that, don't you? she responded on a lowered voice. I... I don't want to do the wrong... she added while immediately being cut by Sai.  
\- You are doing the wrong thing now! By keeping this inside. By not letting it go... by keeping a silly promise to yourself that it was done for nothing! I told you, I might not know you hundred percent but I know what's inside there when it comes to him! This is where you cannot lie to me! Sai added on a bold tone. In the next moment Sakura grabbed violently his shirt collar and pulled him.  
\- What do you know? What do you know about anything! You pretend you know me but you don't know a bit! Not even a single bit about me. Stop pretending like you do! You'll never understand it because you never felt it! she screamed while shaking him.

Sai was barely keeping his ground. She was powerful even without her techniques and every time she got angry, she just couldn't control herself and maneuvered people she got in touch with like toys. In the end, she wasn't called The Second Tsunade for nothing. At times she was even more temperamental than her master. No wonder people said she'd surpass her one day. Not only in techniques, but seemed like in personality as well.  
\- Sa... Sakura-san! Sai tried to reply through the shakes Sakura gave him.  
\- Shut up! she yelled. Don't ever, ever try to preach me about things like these. Don't ever forget who helped you understand the world around you better. So next time, keep your advice for yourself! Sakura added while aggressively pushed him into the wall. Sai landed on his back from the push as Sakura left the place.  
\- Don't even dare to follow me! her voice resonated as she left the place.  
_"I won't even try to"_ Sai said to himself while he rose from the ground. He shook the dust from his clothes as he watched her leaving.  
_"Why, Sakura? Why would you put yourself in such misery that is not even neccessary. If you won't do things sooner rather than later you might lose at your own game. Though I wonder, what game are you playing? What's in your head? Strange how although we spent so much times together and if, from times to times, you're ready to read as an open book, at times, it's like I hit myself on a big wall. And you're just a cover book that won't open at any costs. What are you planning, what are you thinking?"_ Sai thought to himself.

The night over for him after this encounter with Sakura, so he decided to go home. He would try to sleep to recover himself after the shook he took from Sakura.  
_"What a temper!"_ he said, smiling as he started to walk away from the place heading to his house.

As Sakura got away from the place, she headed for her house. She put her hand in her pockets and walked away looking at the starry sky. She started thinking at what Sai said to her. Was he right? Was he wrong? Was Sasuke right? Or everybody else who could notice what was going on with her, but still decided to keep it secret in respect to her decision. _"Sasuke, what would you have done in this situation?"_ she asked herself. _"Hmpf! Silly as always... you gave me an advice though I keep asking myself what you would have done. On well, guess I am silly as always."_

While thinking about that, her whole face got saddened. She missed Sasuke in a way, he had his special place in her heart, the very first guy she was thrilled for. Even if it was a young girl crush, as she grew-up, she started caring about him in another way, not that little silly girl way. In the end she wanted them all to be happy but, unfortunately, at the very end it was impossible and this regret emotion had a special place in the corner of her soul.

_"I wonder how you would've been if all that burden wasn't placed on your shoulders. Probably you would've been the guy all Konoha girls would've been sighed for, and I'd still be that little annoying Sakura..."_ she added to herself while a small piece of smile bloomed on her figure.  
As she was thinking about different situations while walking down the road to her place, in less than 15 minutes, Sakura got home. She opened the door, took out the boots and left them around the entrance, undressed the coat and put it in the hanger placed on the back of the door and walked barefoot right to her room. Then she changed her clothes, took some pajamas and got in her bed.  
As she leaned, she pulled her dark brown blanket on her, stood there watching the ceiling for some moments and afterwards, closed her eyes.

_"It's better this way, Sasuke..." _she tried to convince herself as she tried to get into the dreams world.  
Now, that he wasn't here anymore, to her, Sasuke became some sort of confessor. It was that someone that she could tell her deepest secrets without having to worry about being exposed. Soon after, she fell asleep. The world of dreams kidnapped her for the time being. She sighed once more afterwards and soon looked totally at peace. She needed that peace. Her soul was tormented enough and tomorrow would be a very busy day. New responsibilities weighted on her shoulders.


End file.
